Validity, reliability and viability of pre-school educators’ use of early years toolbox early numeracy

There is need and opportunity for assessments that support quick and playful – yet also accurate, rigorous and developmentally sensitive – appraisals of early numeracy. Ideally, these should be accessible to those who have opportunity to support children’s learning development and ultimately shift children’s trajectories. The iPad-based Early Years Toolbox (EYT) Early Numeracy assessment was developed and evaluated to determine its validity and reliability, and appropriateness of use by researchers and preschool educators. Results from two studies with 246 children aged 3–5 years indicated the following: construct validity and internal consistency, concurrent validity with established measures, developmental sensitivity, test–retest reliability and highly comparable results whether used by a researcher or an educator. This yields a brief and playful assessment of early numeracy and a potential approach to develop broad-use early years assessments.

Australian family day care educators’ experiences of supporting children’s mental health, and their own mental health and wellbeing

This mixed-methods study explored (1) family day care (FDC) educators’ confidence and capability to support children’s mental health, and (2) assessed their own mental health and wellbeing. Descriptive analysis of the survey ( n = 144) highlighted that most participants were in the normal range for mental health and wellbeing; however, identifying mental ill-health in children, access to resources and awareness of support services were areas where participants were less likely to feel confident or capable. In the interviews ( n = 14), three themes were identified in the interviews for the first research question (including the central role of the FDC educator, lack of training and resources and limited professional support) and three themes were identified for the second research question (the importance of mental health for educators, being a small business owner and connecting with other educators). The results highlighted a need for additional support and resources for educators specifically targeting the mental health and wellbeing of children.

Human–nature relationships in early childhood education for sustainability: Metaphysical analysis and reshaping

Popular instructional approaches in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS) are co-construction learning, transformative learning and ecological learning. These rely on constructivism that could challenge human–nature relationships of ECEfS. In this study, we aim to discover and reshape human–nature relationships embedded in the approaches. To do so, we deconstruct the approaches through a metaphysical analysis with ontology, epistemology and axiology. As a result, we confirm that they are likely to view humans and nature as two separate entities. For sustainability, we distinguish an ontological view (‘N’ature) and an epistemological view (‘n’ature) and justify the distinction based on posthumanists’ concepts of non-humans and more-than-humans. We present a metaphysically reshaped human–nature relationship and argue that this new model enables teachers to critically review ‘human-made/observed natures’ and participate in the reconciliation between ‘N’ature and humanity. We also apply the model into a waste-recycle activity to clarify its potential practicality.

Preparing preservice early childhood educators to use music in Australian settings: An audit of programmes

Music is ever-present in early childhood but does not feature strongly in the national curriculum framework – The Early Years Learning Framework in Australia or in the intentional practice of educators in early childhood education and care settings. This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge and confidence or self-efficacy to engage musically with the children. Preservice educator training plays a critical role in the development of effective pedagogical skills, knowledge and understanding. This article explored the music education preparation that preservice educators receive in initial training. A content analysis approach was used to review course content of all approved preservice educator programmes in Australia by the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. Interviews with tertiary teachers explored content taught. The findings offer rich insight into the extent of music education provided for preservice early childhood educators and implications for the development for future programmes.

Cultural diversity in the Australian early childhood education workforce: What do we know, what don’t we know and why is it important?

This paper reviews current literature and research relevant to the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce in Australia, including data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australia is a highly multicultural society, with one out of every three people born overseas. Anecdotally, the Australian early childhood sector is reported to have a highly multicultural workforce. Yet there is a noticeable lack of data and research concerning cultural diversity in the Australian ECE workforce. This paper reports on the data from the ABS-Census of Population and Housing (ABS-Census), the small body of literature on the CALD ECE workforce and literature pertaining to CALD in other Australian workforces to argue that more data and research is needed. Developing a richer understanding of the status, experience and contributions of CALD educators would enable the sector to recognise and support the potential benefits of such a workforce for children and families and social cohesion in Australia.

Understanding cultural artefacts to ensure seamless transitions in the Early Years

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Jarjums (children), the cultural and world views they bring from their home life can be very different to those in school, creating an additional layer of adjustments in the Early Years pathway. We describe an Early Years Transitions Framework that demonstrates how changing transition from a process to move Jarjums as quickly as possible into a Western system to one that acknowledges the beliefs and cultural artefacts Jarjums bring to the Early Years space builds smoother transitions. The Framework is underlain by a mesh of High-Expectations Relationships, which moves the educator from the position of ‘knowledge holder’ to one of deep listening to understand the cultural needs and aspirations of families. By bringing these different world views together and building relationships across the Early Years sectors, educators can create a third cultural space where transition becomes a process of interwoven spaces and incremental learning.

Early childhood educators’ solidarity and struggles for recognition

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) educators’ well-being and emotional demands during COVID require careful attention. This article explores the emotional demands experienced by ECEC educators in Australia during ongoing periods of lockdown. A survey was designed to gather quantitative and qualitative data and participants were asked to participate in in-depth interviews. Thirty participants were interviewed to explore personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic; of these, a selected sample of six participants is presented, drawing on Honneth’s (1995) as an analytical framework. The findings show ECEC educators’ struggle for recognition and how solidarity amongst educators emerged as a key response. Implications provide impetus for the active recognition of the early childhood profession. Solidarity as a new concept in ECEC includes the recognition of the early childhood profession at a societal level, recognising the significant professional work early childhood educators accomplish, and their struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

In whose best interests? Regulating childcare environments in Australia

This conceptual model paper uses systems theory to explain how key elements in the Australian policy and regulatory context lead to three issues of concern in childcare centre physical environments: siting of centres on busy roads; lack of outdoor space; and, emergency evacuation in high-rise buildings. Drawing on evidence from prior studies and policy documents through desktop research, as well as childcare centre visits and communications with stakeholders and experts, we confirmed these issues as threats to children’s health, safety, development and well-being. Adapting Goekler’s ‘iceberg model’ of systems theory, we identified a dominance of commercial childcare property interests and complex and conflicting policy and regulatory structures, as explanatory elements leading to outcomes that conflict with children’s best interests.